MARTELLY MOVES TO CONSOLIDATE HOLD ON EX-LAVALAS VOTERS ARISTIDE POWER BASE SHRINKS

April 9, 2011

President Michel Martelly moved to consolidate his hold on disaffected ex-Lavalas supporters as he visits various elements of Haiti’s society.

In a whirlwind visit to TNH The National Television Station, Martelly was mobbed the the staff who hugged and kissed him in an emotional show of support.

Even as Martelly got into his car to drive away, the Director of the TV station fired all of the workers who greeted Martelly.

Now this has to be a classic show of stupidity, since the guy is working for the government, and Martelly is, or soon will be, the government.

The Director of TNH is toast.

Martelly then visited So Anne, one of Aristide’s most rabid supporters, who has coordinated the Aristide Foundation.  The two of them got along very well, and another crack appears in Aristide’s support group.

Any group, political or social, is a pyramid with a few key people at the top. The rest of the pyramid is filled out with individuals who benefit, in one way or another, from their voluntary association. Lavalas is no different. A few leaders, at the top, benefit from their positions while the mass of sheep fill out the ranks.

When the people, at the top, fail to deliver, the mass of sheep will look elsewhere. Until Martelly appeared, on the scene, the mass really had nowhere else to go.

Now they have the options and have taken it, a move demonstrated by their 80% vote for Martelly, to Manigat’s 20%.

Aristide’s key people believed that his return, immediately before the election, would derail the process. It had zero effect upon the voter turnout, which must have been a shock to Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

In fact, his return really went unnoticed, and unremarked as a handful of enthusiast greeted him. This did not even include those key Lavalas leaders who now attempt to revive their fortunes, and those of Aristide.

Perhaps, they did not wish to be seen as publicly involved with Aristide.

Few met him at the airport, in spite of claims to the contrary. His planned celebrations, at Tabarre, was effectively destroyed as Martelly loyalists had painted the walls to his estate Martelly Pink. The Mob Preval rented, to greet Aristide, ran wild requiring tear gas to control – or attempt to control the crime as the people swept through Aristide’s home, stealing all of the furniture, purchased days before, grabbed all of the food off the buffet and pillaged the home stealing all of the personal possessions of Aristide’s guests, including those of Danny Glover, American film star.

There is an ongoing move, among Aristide loyalists, to rebuild their party structure, perhaps under a new game. They are faced with an uphill battles as Martelly controls the field.

The game is Martelly’s to lose.

He already has the complete, and loving support of most ex-Lavalas voters.

He is popular with Duvalierists.

And, he is popular with those who follow to previous leader.

In other words, Martelly has the opportunity to succeed as the nation supports him as their only hope.

He also has the opportunity to fail, if he does not use this time to save his nation.

We wish Michel Martelly the best in his daunting challenge and believe he will make a difference, a positive difference, for Haiti’s present, and future.

Obviously, the Director of TNH – Haiti’s National Television station, does not agree – but he is probably part of the unfortunate Preval history – fired for his gross  and professionally suicidal stupidity.

Collins

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13 thoughts on “MARTELLY MOVES TO CONSOLIDATE HOLD ON EX-LAVALAS VOTERS ARISTIDE POWER BASE SHRINKS

  1. This is early days and so one cannot say one whether what you say it true. You might hate Lavalas and I do think that they have been playing the game stupidly but I believe most Haitians are resigned to a President Sweet Mickey. It was the result of an exercise in fraud but the powers that have decided that it must so. Life goes on. However, one cannot deny there is no hope. Indeed, Martelly is saying the right things but the proof is in the details.
    He says beautiful things though the people who put up the big money for his campaign makes one wonder. Nevertheless, we should give him a honeymoon of six months or so to say if he really can get things going or whether he will build a bit, steal a lot, and just set up the Voodoostapo to keep things under control for his friends.
    A no nothing president might work out, look at the biggest ignoramus of them all, Reagan. He might have sown the seeds of today’s malaise with all his deregulation, he might have acquiesced in the unspeakable massacres of Indian peasants in Guatemala, dabbled in Irangate, but he did do the Soviet Union in.
    I repeat, one should not mix one’s hopes with the facts. Lavalas is not done with just yet nor is there an upsurge of wrath against a candidate who came out ahead in a flawed election with three quarters of voters not taking part. Failure to recognize that is just as false as saying that Aristide is just about to take over.
    Martelly doesn’t have the total support of Lavalas supporters. That is simply not true. He does have the benefit of doubt. If he can make things better for the poor, he will have their support. Preval did nothing, was a venal, invisible leader who betrayed his movement, his principles, and tragically his own people. Practically anyone could do a better job than him. Even a clown who promised to dance naked on the roof of the National Palace if he were elected president.

  2. Tis is not what we need now.we need reconciliation of all Haitians to rebuild the nation and make it stronger.the time has come to stop the fight and argues .we need to commence a new beginning.a new Haiti new geeneration,new mentality,new environment thatnis whatwe really now.not thasoe stupid clashes between the same nation.it is time to start working stop the fight.

  3. If there is to be reconciliation, let us start by putting Ayiti first. We must stop the US rice imports as soon as possible (obviously it cannot stop immediately). We must build up the Haitian state for Haitians, all Haitians, not just the Apaids, Madsens, Bakers, Boulos,etc. Those people should pay taxes and in return, should be guaranteed protection from violence and confiscation.Deng Xiaoping said : black cat, white cat, it doesn’t matter as long as it catches mice. If Martelly et al. can do good, why have clashes? The poor in Haiti have been demanding bread from the ruling class. They have been offered scraps. They have clamored for meat and in the best of cases, been offered spam. The elite should settle for 70 % of everything as opposed to 95% of everything. Hell, they would still be rich. Therein lies the basis for a real deal. When will they learn that 70% of a lot more is way better than 95% of much less? This is beyond the usual boring left vs. Right conflict. God help Ayiti. Let us hope that the know nothing president can do much better than the previous do nothing president.

  4. It’s time for us to move on and focus on what we as individuals and a people can do for Haiti. Those of us living abroad with funds should consider returning home to open a business. those of us who are educated should consider taking pay cut to share your expertise and/or teach in Haiti schools. Haitians doesn’t have the luxury to be divided, we need to be productive not just sitting on the sideline spitting at the guy running the show.

    the Lavalas Ariistide/Preval crew mismanaged close to 20 years in power. yes we can try to blame their failure on the interference of the US, France, Canada (UN) but one thing is clear, si lakay pa vann, deyo pa ka achete. so we are constantly being betrayed by insiders first. Haitian leaders have to learn to live with all factions in Haiti and the international interests. these won’t factors will not go away, so blaming them for your failure is senseless. Lavalas is a shadow of its former self because its leader destroyed it. Aristide cannot stand for anyone to be more popular than him. Haitians do not understand political parties, they understand the cult of personalities. the fiercest lavalas are those who never lived under Aristide second regime(2000-2004). most of them live abroad and the most vocal ones are not even Haitian for that matter, they mostly reside in the three country they blamed for Lavalas failure, US, Canada and France.

    So far the lavalas politicians who live in Haiti do what Haitian politicians do best, run out of the sinking ship and into the new shiny boat of the victor. The same way Aristide abandoned FNCD and formed Lavalas, Preval abandoned Aristide to do Espwa and the other lavalas politicians ran into Preval government as ministers, these same folks along with Preval own Espwa/Inite politicians are not trying run into the Michel Martelly boat. Haitian politicians go “kote dlo a kole pi fre,” where the flow is fresher. it’s about their pocket not their ideology.

    Haiti is left with a desperate poor majority, a small educated middle class and a tinier elite class. ideology are luxuries that the middle class can afford, the rich are only concern about making more money and the poor are preoccupy with their next meal, the spot to lay their head, the next school tuition, poor folk go with whoever look like they may provide relief. so for the moment lavalas is screwed because the majority doesn’t see how lavalas can help them. But Haiti is bigger than lavalas, bigger than aristide, bigger than martelly. Aristide failure was our failure, Preval failure is our failure and if Martelly were to fail it would be our failure as well.

    So I am glad that Martelly doesn’t see himself as a know it all intellectual rather as a gerant or a manager that is going to put a talented team together to help the country move forward. I have confidence based on the fact that he was able to put a fantastic team together to run a superb campaign so I feel he will put a fantastic team together to run the country and maybe we may finally breath a fresh air in Haiti again.

  5. Collins (whomever you are) please stop with the misinformation. Stop twisting the information. Mr Henriquez, the director of THN, is a supporter of President Micky. In fact he fired 2 journalists who are close to Manigat. You have a right to support whomever you want. But, it is not right to insult the human intelligence wich such an “article” You are definitely not doing justice to yourself, your intelligence!!!

    1. In reply to John Maxim:
      If you are right we apologize. Unfortunately, that information came from someone in Michel Martelly’s group and from three local radio stations. I guess that we are all wrong, if you are right. Unfortunately, that is often Haiti where people prefer rumors to facts.

      We try to do better.

      Collins

  6. Martelly is on a roll if he chose those rumor suggest.

    Gervais Charles as Prime Minister or Rigaud Duplan.

    Perhaps Doctor Bastien as Interior or Sante.

    Good people mentioned for Education.

    Being an intellectual does not guarantee anything except, perhaps, ego = Manigat, Leslie and Mirlande.

    Michel knows who is is and is comfortable with this and will select good people who will make him look good.

    Haiti will benefit is he does this.

  7. I am really sad for the future of Haiti.The situation is very volatile.There is emotion, sentimentalism,clientellism,Egoism,on the air. There is no real palnning.There are a lot of talkings for talking,but no essence.

    I hope this way doesn’t bring more pains to the population.I feel that, nothing will be done to change the country for now, unless, someone does something. There is to many people dsihonest around.They are thinkinh of making more millions or billions for themselves.

    Remember it is impossible to build on trash.So, without justice, no blessing will come upon the nation.To many criminals out there, how could you build Haiti with these people.

    Ithink that God is teaching us a tough lesson, if we miss it, we are gone for ever.

  8. I want to believe in Sweet Mickey, I really do. Despite the fraudulent way he got in, we are supposed to support him. OK, but in the back of my mind, I will always be leery of the mysterious people who supported his campaign financially, including hiring a slick Spanish PR firm with rightwing leanings (they don’t come cheap). I shall forget about the alleged drug lord links or shady Florida land deals or his support of coups and the violence that followed them. Let bygones be bygones but forgive me if I have some grave doubts. Being an intellectual is no guarantee of a great president but nitwits in positions of power can do great harm. Time will tell whether Martelly is a Reagan or a Bokassa.

  9. I really hope that somebody from the Martelly team monitors this website and take in these productive discussion topics as starting point of what really concerns the Haitians in the 10th department.

    1. I would rest assured that this site, and the comments are read by Martelly’s team, as well as all of the other key players in all parties of Haitian politics.

  10. In simple terms, this article lacks any objectivity nor substance another smoke screen to deflect reality. Remember Toto Constant and Cedras you will find Michel Martelly among them.Those facts were not even discussed by Madame Manigat. The reason is clear , they are from the ultra right wing of the country.The fact of the matter is the essence of “Sweet Micky” that can’t be enhanced by the sheer nature of the “Presidential Chair”. L’habit ne fait pas le Moine” nor a leopard can change his stripes .” Pitit tigre ce tigre”

    Time will tell

  11. On July 26, 1920, HL Mencken wrote in The Evening Sun:

    “As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.

    On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
    ***************************************
    This man was a great cynic. Do not allow yourselves to become the people he is referring to in this very old comment.

    Look more deeply into the past of Haiti. Remember your ancestors whose blood and bone made the country under the torture and chains of the elite and omnipotent power mongers. Those people are the same today as they were hundreds of years ago. They choose their puppets well.

    Revere your elders, and honor your ancestors who suffered the agonies of Hell on earth. Gather the strength of your ancestors to yourselves. Focus.

    Pay attention not to the history you have been fed, but search for the history you do not know.

    My heart to you.

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